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Mr. Boswell: This information is not collected centrally. FEFC guidelines on accounting policies recommend that colleges should disclose the emoluments of the principal and other senior postholders in their accounts, which are publicly available.
Mr. Bryan Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when she expects to respond to the recommendations of the Further Education Funding Council regarding the governing bodies of (a) Wilmorton college, Derby and (b) St. Phillip's college, Birmingham.
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Mr. Boswell: My right hon. Friend is aware of the need to bring these matters to an early conclusion. She will announce her decisions shortly.
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Members' Cloakroom
Mr. Thurnham: To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee when he expects the new machines in the Members' Cloakroom to be repaired.
Mr. Michael J. Martin: This is a matter for the Serjeant at Arms.
WALES
Agri-Environmental Regulations
Mr. Maclennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he has taken to meet the EEC agri-environmental regulations; and what funds have been made available for their implementation.
Mr. Gwilym Jones: In the past year, we have launched in Wales two new environmentally sensitive areas, a countryside access scheme, a habitat scheme and an organic aid scheme. We plan to launch new payments to promote public access in ESAs and a moorland scheme shortly. These are additional to the existing five ESAs and Tir Cymen. Expenditure on these schemes is planned to rise to £15,000,000 by 1996 97.
Crickhowell House
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on what date his Department's approval was (a) sought
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and (b) given for the construction of the Crickhowell house headquarters of the Welsh Common Health Services Authority at Roath basin, Cardiff docks, Cardiff; what independent evaluation of the alternative sites available was made; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Redwood: Crickhowell house was constructed by Grosvenor Waterside, the property arm of Associated British Ports and therefore not subject to approval by the Welsh Office.
In addition to the Welsh Health Common Services Authority's appraisal of alternative sites and options, the authority's occupation of the building was independently assessed by Gooch and Wagstaff, property consultants, which confirmed that it offered the best value for money in terms of the options considered. The National Audit Office also examined the papers.
Cardiff Bay
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 30 January, Official Report, column 538, on what date the agreement by Associated British Ports to make a contribution to Cardiff Bay development corporation infrastructure costs announced on 11 May 1989 lapsed; if the chairman of the corporation sought his Department's consent to the lapsing; and if his Department's consent was sought for the development agreement between the company and the corporation signed in March 1991.
Mr. Redwood: The Department's consent was not required to the development agreement with Associated British Ports. The hon. Gentleman's questions about the development agreement are operational matters for the corporation, and the chief executive will write to the hon. Gentleman in response.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on what date he secured the approval of the Cardiff Bay development corporation for the National Audit Office to have secondary access to its accounts for regularity and propriety purposes; and if he will place a copy of the memorandum of agreement in the Library.
Mr. Redwood: The financial memorandum of Cardiff Bay development corporation was amended on 2 December 1992 to provide the Comptroller and Auditor General access to the records and books of the corporation. A copy of the letter of the same date which made that amendment has been placed in the Library of the House.
Health Authorities
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on how many occasions the local advisory committees in each health authority area in Wales have made representations to that health authority in each of the last three years.
Mr. Redwood: This information is not held centrally, but could be obtained from health authorities.
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Medical Committees
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on how many occasions (a) the Welsh medical committee, (b) the Welsh dental committee, (c) the Welsh nursing committee, (d) the Welsh midwifery committee, (e) the Welsh pharmaceutical committee and (f) the Welsh optical committee, have made representations to him in each of the last three years.
Mr. Redwood: I receive advice from the following five statutory committees.
(a) the Welsh Medical Committee;
(b) the Welsh Dental Committee;
(c) the Welsh Nursing and Midwifery Committee;
(d) the Welsh Pharmaceutical Committee; and
(e) the Welsh Optical Committee;
Representation is made both directly to me and indirectly through my representative who attends the committee.
Of those representations made directly to the Department over the last three years, (a) the Welsh medical committee has presented one report, with a further three currently subject to external consultation; (b) the Welsh dental committee has submitted three reports and offered advice on a further three consultation documents; (c) the Welsh nursing and midwifery committee has submitted five reports and; (d) and one each has been submitted by the Welsh pharmaceutical and Welsh optical committees.
Each statutory committee also produces an annual report.
Waste-to-energy Schemes
Mr. Ron Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what waste- to-energy schemes there are in Wales in accordance with the non-fossil fuel organisation; and what plans there are to establish such schemes in the near future.
Mr. Redwood: No waste-to-energy projects were supported in Wales under the first two orders of the non-fossil fuel obligation. Four projects have been awarded contracts under the recently announced third order.
Recycling
Mr. Ron Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much has been paid, and to which organisations, in respect of recycling in Wales, under the (a) recycling credits, (b) environmental technology innovation scheme, (c) the Department of Trade and Industry's environmental management options scheme and (d) Euroenviron.
Mr. Redwood: The information is as follows:
(a) Details are not held centrally.
(b), (c) and (d): No payments have been made to organisations based in Wales.
Hazardous Substance Consents
Mr. Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many hazardous substance consents were made by local councils in Wales in the last year; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Gwilym Jones: In the period between 1 April 1993 and 31 March 1994, 12 hazardous substance consents were issued in Wales. The consents were issued under the Planning (Hazardous Substances) Act 1990, which came into force on 1 June 1992. The Act requires that the storage or use of certain substances on particular sites are consented to by the local council. Substances can be used or stored in significant amounts only after the local council has assessed the risk to people in the neighbourhood.
Only five councils received applications, compared to 26 in the previous year. Of the 12 consents issued, 10 were new applications and two were carried forward from the previous year. These were both consents for sites where substances were already being stored or used before the Act came into force.
TREASURY
Standard of Living Statistics
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how he measures an increase in the standard of living; and how many years it would take to double the standard of living at the rate of increase since (i) 1979 and (ii) October 1989.
Mr. Nelson: The standard of living can be measured in a number of ways. Taking real personal disposable income per head, a per capita growth rate of 2.8 per cent. per annum would be required to achieve a doubling of living standards over the next 25 years. This compares with average annual per capita growth rates of 2.1 per cent. since 1979 and 0.8 per cent. since October 1989. However, as these are both dates from the peak of an economic cycle, such selective periods cannot be reliable indicators of future growth.
Growth Statistics
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what annual rate of growth in GDP is implied in his objective of doubling the standard of living in 25 years; how that compares with the increase in the years since the first year of membership of the EEC; and what role interest rates play in achieving that objective.
Mr. Nelson: The standard of living can be measured in many ways. In order that real personal disposal income per head should double in 25 years, each year it would need to grow by 2.8 per cent. The growth rate of real personal disposable income per head between 1973, the year we joined the EEC, and 1994 was around 2 per cent. per annum. Monetary policy is set to keep underlying inflation within the 1 to 4 per cent. target. A low inflation environment provides the best chance of delivering higher living standards through a period of sustained growth.
Rathlin
Mr. Peter Bottomley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if vehicles on Rathlin maintain exemption from vehicle excise duty.
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Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: I am not aware of any vehicle currently registered on Rathlin which will pay more vehicle excise duty, or pay duty for the first time, as a result of the changes in schedule 4 to the Finance Bill.
Inheritance Tax
Mr. Leigh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the proceeds under inheritance tax from estates valued at (a) under £1 million, (b) £1 million to £10 million, (c) £10 million to £50 million and (d) over £50 million in the latest available year.
Sir George Young: Estimated liabilities for inheritance tax for estates passing on death in 1991 92, the latest year available, are given in the table:
Value of net estate, |Liability<1>
including
lifetime transfers |£ million
within seven
years of death
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Under £1 million |790
£1 million to £2 million |150
Over £2 million |140
All estates |1,080
<1> Provisional
A further breakdown of estates over £2 million cannot be reliably estimated and, in any case, the numbers involved may be too small to give adequate protection to the confidentiality of individual estates.
Heavy Fuel Oil Duty
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total value of revenue raised from heavy fuel oil duty in each of the last three years from (a) Northern Ireland and (b) Great Britain.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: The total revenue raised from heavy fuel oil duty in Northern Ireland and Great Britain over the last available three years is as follows:
|Northern |Great
|Ireland |Britain
Year |£ million|£ million
----------------------------------------
1990-91 |71.13 |2,740.27
1991-92 |86.84 |3,070.96
1992-93 |95.32 |3,296.78
HEALTH
Mental Nurses
Mr. Ronnie Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many registered mental nurses were employed in the Northumberland health authority in each year since 1989; and what was the percentage change in each year.
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Mr. Sackville: The information available centrally is shown in the table:
Qualified mental health nursing staff within Nortumberland DHA as at 30 September 1989-1993 Year |Wte |Per cent. change -------------------------------------------------------------------- 1989 |280 |1989-90 - 6.2 1990 |270 |1990-91 + 1.7 1991 |270 |1991-92 - 18.8 1992 |220 |- Source: PD(STATS)B Non-Medical Workforce Census. Notes: <1>All figures rounded to nearest 10. <2>All percentages calculated on unrounded figures.
NHS Management
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to develop alternative systems of management of the national health service.
Mr. Malone: The system of management that we continue to develop for the national health service, which began with the NHS reforms introduced in 1991, is one of decentralisation of responsibilities to purchasers and providers, while maintaining clear lines of accountability. This improves services to patients and ensures better value for money by devolving decision making about the delivery of services to local level.
Mental Illness
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients are at present legally detained under Mental Health Act powers.
Mr. Bowis: This information is not available centrally.
Private Finance Partnership Initiative
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list all the projects which at any time have been under consideration as part of the private finance partnership initiative, giving in each case the date of the submission of the project to the Department, and the present status of the application.
Mr. Sackville: Since the launch of the private finance initiative in November 1992, the national health service has been encouraged to exploit the benefits of partnership with the private sector. The NHS Executive issued the capital investment manual under the health service guidelines-- HSG(94)31--on 28 June 1994, copies of which are available in the Library, which required consideration of options of partnership with the private sector for all capital projects. I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Sheffield, Attercliffe (Mr. Betts) on 3 November 1994, Official Report , column 1269 , for the latest available information on the status of schemes approved. Other information on date of first submission to the NHS Executive and current status is not collected centrally.
Speech Therapists
Sir Wyn Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy to provide bursaries for post graduates pursuing two year courses to qualify as speech therapists.
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Mr. Sackville: We have no plans to do so.
London Ambulance Service
Mr. Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department has conducted into the length of London ambulance service emergency response times in the one-hour period before shift changes.
Mr. Sackville: This is a management issue being addressed by the London ambulance service.
Social Service Authorities
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what will be the annual payments to each social service authority in lieu of community care.
Mr. Bowis: Local authorities were given indicative figures for the 1995 96 special transitional grant in letter LASSL (94) 11, copies of which are available in the Library. Final figures will be issued in due course. It is up to local authorities how much of their general funding they make available for community care services in addition to this.
Malpractice
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doctors have been disciplined for (a) negligence and (b) incompetence for each year since 1984; and how many were struck off.
Mr. Malone: This information is not available centrally.
Complaints
Dr. Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints have been received by each family health services authority categories of complaint and the outcome of the complaints in each category.
Mr. Malone: The available information is published annually in "Health and Personal Social Services Statistics" copies of which are available in the Library.
Fluoridated Water Supplies
Mr. Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to increase the availability of fluoridated water supplies throughout the country.
Mr. Malone: The Government remain convinced that fluoridation of drinking water is a safe and effective public health measure and will continue to support the introduction of such schemes, particularly where the dental health of the population is known to be poor. In 1994, the Government agreed to help with the capital funding of seven schemes in the north of England which would bring fluoridation to 1.7 million more people.
Decisions about fluoridation should, however, continue to be taken at a local level.
GP Fundholders
Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance she has given the health commissions in respect of returning to general practitioner fundholders savings they have made.
Mr. Malone: Paragraph 24 of the National Health Service (Fund- holding Practices) Regulations 1993 sets
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out how general practitioner fundholders may use audited savings for the benefit of patients.Dental Services
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many health districts in England have permission to employ salaried dentists; and how many have now (a) recruited and (b) failed to recruit the approved number.
Mr. Malone: The number of salaried dentists employed by English family health services authorities is shown in the table. In addition to those family health services authorities listed, Berkshire, Dorset, Hampshire, Hereford and Worcester, Kingston and Richmond, Northamptonshire and Solihull have been granted permission to employ salaried dentists. Information about vacancies is not available centrally.
Table 1: General Dental Service: Number of salaried
dentists<1> by
family health services authority as at 30 September 1994
|30 September
FHSA |1994
--------------------------------------------------------------
All FHSAs |115
Cumbria |1
Derbyshire |3
Cambridgeshire |3
Norfolk |3
Kensington, Westminster and Chelsea |9
Essex |2
City and East London |9
Kent |5
Greenwich and Bexley |7
Bromley |1
Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham |31
Surrey |5
West Sussex |1
Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth |2
Wiltshire |2
Isle of Wight |2
Buckinghamshire |4
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly |3
Gloucestershire |3
Somerset |4
Staffordshire |1
Cheshire |8
Liverpool |2
Lancashire |2
Manchester |1
Salford |1
Source:
Dental Practice Board.
<1> This is the number of salaried dentists with contracts
registered at the DPB. It is not the number of salaried
dentists in employment at the actual specified date.
Restricted Growth
Mr. Alfred Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she or her Department have had in regard to the incidence of restricted growth; what reply she has sent; what action she is taking; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville: Mr Paul Zetter, CBE, honorary president of the Restricted Growth Association, has written to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State recently expressing concern that the association has no communication with the majority of people of restricted growth in this country, and mentioning its wish to create a database of those affected.
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I have today written to Mr. Zetter to say that I fully support the excellent work that the association is doing to help people of restricted growth. However, personal health information is subject to the general principle of the law of confidence. As such, health records can be disclosed only within the national health service on a strictly need-to-know basis and, generally speaking, it cannot be disclosed to an outsider or third party without the patient's prior consent. I have invited Mr. Zetter to meet officials of my Department to discuss this issue further.Special Advisers
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the severance payments made to special advisers in each of the last five years indicating (a) the amount and (b) the date.
Mr. Sackville [holding answer 1 February 1995]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Treasury gave him on 6 February, Official Report , column 69 .
Anabolic Agents
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals she has to restrict the promotion and sale of anabolic agents designed to improve sporting prowess.
Mr. Sackville [holding answer 6 February 1995]: Anabolic steroids are prescription-only medicines, and their promotion and sale is regulated by the Medicines Act 1968. A failure to comply with the regulations can be a criminal offence. Products which purport to be anabolic steroids but which in fact are not may also be subject to the requirements of the regulations if medicinal claims are made on behalf of such products.
Enforcement of the Medicines Act is the responsibility of the Medicines Control Agency. Enforcement action against persons who illegally manufacture, sell or promote anabolic steroids is a high priority for the agency.
My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department announced on 2 November that he intended to bring anabolic steroids within the controls of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. The necessary amending regulations will be brought before Parliament in due course.
Child Care
Dr. Hendron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the total social services budget was spent on child care provision in England in the last five years.
Mr. Bowis [pursuant to his reply, 19 December 1994,
c. 987 88]: I regret that there were clerical errors in the 1992 93 data given in my previous reply.
A corrected table of figures is as follows.
Gross expenditure on personal social services in
England
Total Children's
services
|£ million|£ million|per cent.
--------------------------------------------------
1988-89 |3776.1 |1164.3 |30.8
1989-90 |4204.4 |1277.3 |30.4
1990-91 |4697.7 |1449.4 |30.9
1991-92 |5127.4 |1551.4 |30.3
1992-93 |5469.9 |1653.8 |30.2
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NATIONAL HERITAGE
Pools Companies
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to lift the ban to allow the pools companies to advertise on radio and television; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Dorrell: My right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary announced on 25 January that the Government had decided that it was not necessary in the public interest for the ban on broadcast advertising by the football pools to be maintained. I have invited the Independent Television Commission and the Radio Authority to consider amending their advertising codes accordingly.
Tourism
Mr. Pendry: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will publish the initial findings of the McKinsey Inc. management consultants' report into the future of tourism in Britain; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Dorrell: I shall be making a statement about tourism policy in the near future. The final report on the work McKinsey and Co. has done for the Department and the tourist boards will be placed in the House of Commons Library when it is available.
Pornography (Internet)
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what powers he and his hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade have to regulate the use of pornography on the Internet.
Mr. Dorrell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Office of Public Service and Science to a question by the hon. Member for Leeds, West (Mr. Battle) on 18 January 1995, Official Report, column 488 .
Television
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) what assessment he has made of the adequacy of current Independent Television Commission codes in regulating the licensing of channels, with particular reference to Babylon Blue;
(2) what representations he has received from the Independent Television Commission to strengthen the regulatory powers over adult channels.
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